I'm organising my storage and I wonder if I could have some advice on the optimum storage/ working efficiency. I have 4x1TB HDDs (OS, Archives, Windows Back-up and Active) on a Win7 64bit PC, running an i7CPU with 24gb RAM.

This may be wrong, but since I've started working with video I've always worked/ stored in the following way. I set up 2 HDDs: 1 for working on "Active Projects" and the 2nd for "Archives" only. I set up a project folder for each new Pr project on the active project HDD and capture my Z1 footage to that folder (along with images, backing tracks, etc) and edit it all on the active project HDD. After the project is complete and sent on its way, I move the completed project folder and all its elements over to the Archive HDD.

After years of working in the same groove I'm begining to wonder if I might be better capturing my footage direct to a folder on the Archive HDD instead of the active HDD and working on it from there in my active HDD project (and maybe do the same for images, backing tracks, etc). Would this have a neutral impact on my work flow or would it make it less stable/ slower?

It looks like I'd be best to re-jig a bit along the lines I mentioned (although my primary work is editing, I do use the PC for Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, etc. projects as well). When you say "Exports", are you talking finished movies?